


Recovery is a Long Road Made Shorter by Family

by Fic_Request_Blog



Series: LotR Drabbles [14]
Category: The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types
Genre: Family Feels, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Poor Elrond
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-14
Updated: 2018-07-14
Packaged: 2019-06-10 08:14:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15287448
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fic_Request_Blog/pseuds/Fic_Request_Blog
Summary: Elrond is injured in an orc ambush. Luckily, his children are there to make sure he makes a quick recovery. [In other words, have some feels for our favorite elf family in Imladris.]





	Recovery is a Long Road Made Shorter by Family

Elrond fell, fast and sharp. He could not find anything to grasp, could not even take a breath. There was nothing but darkness.

Nothing but the deep, deep dark, pulling him down.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

With a gasp and a full-body jerk, Elrond awoke. 

It was dark, but not the same all-encompassing gloom as before, just the dark of the night with drawn curtains. There were soft linens wrapped around him and a soft pillow beneath his head. As the thundering of his heart slowed, he could hear the soft shush of trees shifting in the breeze, the low rumble of the falls at the edge of the valley. 

He was back in Imladris, in his own bed. His body was a dull ache of bruising with two sharp points of pain radiating from his shoulder and side. This did not stop him from relaxing again, the sounds and smells of home lapping gently at his consciousness. 

Like a hazy morning, Elrond could not remember what had happened. Thick fog clouded his memories. However, he did not try hard to force them to materialize. He was safe, and that knowledge was slowly weighing his body down into the sheets. His thoughts were receding like the tide, slow and unhurried.

There would be time for questions in the morning. 

For now, he let the exhaustion in his frame tow him into the depths of a dreamless sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There was light on the other side of his eyelids the next time Elrond regained consciousness. He could hear voices in the room and birds in the trees outside but couldn’t force his eyes to open. All his limbs felt like stone and there was an insistent pounding at the back of his skull. While it was distinctly less peaceful than the last time he awoke, Elrond found sleep again easily enough.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There was someone calling to him. He couldn’t make out the words yet, but someone was there, gently nudging at his consciousness.

It felt like pulling his feet from thick mud, buried far too deep to save himself from. Was he sill in his armor? Where had he dropped his sword? He’d never free himself from this place with all of that weighing him down…

Yet the voice still called, and Elrond yearned to answer. Darkness continued to suck him down, away from that light and he could not fight it, but he wished to. 

He wished to.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A hand wrapped around his wrist, hot like a brand and as strong as iron. It pulled him from the mud and the dark as more hands reached to find him. He could not see, could not hear, but the voice was there, joined by many others. They built light around him, great walls to block out the dark.

Elrond finally slept.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Elrond awoke as softly as the first snow of the mountains, one breath between sleep and awareness. His eyes slid open to the slow light of morning filtering through his own window. 

Little motes of dust danced in the rays of the sun. For a moment, he was transfixed by them, the simple, infinite patterns drifting in the air. They greeted his return from the dark and as the sun rose, they disappeared into the breeze.

Something stirred just to his right and Elrond turned his head upon the pillow, much more an effort than it should have been. There, beside him, was a crown of raven hair, tussled in sleep. Someone had rested their head just beside his own.

Elrond couldn’t see her face, but it would have taken far more than simple injury to keep him from recognizing his daughter. Some tension he did not know he was even capable of holding eased from his shoulders. 

Arwen was with him. 

There was no darkness the Evenstar could not hold at bay.

He watched her shift, watched as she lifted her head and settled beautiful grey eyes upon his own. They widened in surprise as she found him looking back, shock stilling her entirely. 

And oh, it was like watching the sun break through clouds on a winter day. Her eyes lit up with joy and a smile leapt upon her lips. 

“Ada!”

Tears slipped from her eyes as she lifted his hand from the bed and up to her cheek. It was wet beneath his palm, but he answered her smile with a weak one of his own. 

“Le melin.”

She laughed, bright in the morning light, “Le melin, ada. How do you feel?”

Elrond breathed in and did his best to focus. His mind was still far too foggy, but he could remember the orcs now, the ambush. His body certainly remembered it, if the pain pulsing through his shoulder was any indication. 

“I was shot.”

He didn’t ask it, but Arwen nodded nonetheless, her smile dropping, “Yes. The arrow was poisoned.” 

He sighed, rubbing his thumb gently on her cheek where she still clasped it, “Was anyone else injured?”

Falteringly, Arwen’s smile returned at the gesture, “Elladan was deeply cut on his leg, but he’s already refusing to stay in bed and Elrohir isn’t worrying over him, so no. No one was injured as badly as you.”

Elrond closed his eyes. Thank the Valar.

“I think I must rest more.”

Though he did not open his eyes again, Elrond could see in his mind the slight frown most likely stealing onto Arwen’s face.

“Yes. I’ll be here when you wake.”

Elrond’s lips lifted ever so slightly, “I would never doubt it.”

This time, when the darkness rose to claim him, Elrond met it without worry.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Elrond awoke to the sound of what could only be described as bickering. He did not have to open his eyes to know who was in his room.

Elrohir was finishing something about orcs and injuries just as Elladan jumped in with a witty retort about how Elrohir could be mistaken for an orc. Elrond did his best to not smile at the expense of his son as the distinct sound of Arwen sighing.

“At this rate with all your noise, you two will wake ada.”

Elrond opened his eyes at that, amusement clear in his voice, “Oh, I’m afraid they’ve already accomplished that.”

Three simultaneous shouts of “ada” rang through the room as Elrond’s children crowded towards the bed, smiles all around. 

“How long have I been asleep?”

Arwen’s smile wilted ever so slightly, concern flooding her features, “It’s been two weeks since the ambush. The last time you woke was about two days ago.”

That was longer than he’d hoped for, but not much more than he had expected. 

However, he felt much better than when he last spoke to Arwen. The pain had receded and looking at the sun streaming through his windows no longer started an ache just behind his eyes. 

Elrond slowly sat up, both Arwen and Elladan extending hands to steady him. 

“Well,” Elrond smiled at them, “I feel much better.”

The road to recovery wasn’t over yet, but at least he would have three very attentive children to make it as easy as possible.

**Author's Note:**

> This is for chibicheeberson on AO3.


End file.
